I thought i was rather specific with my code sample, but let me try again:

If php did not accept "0" as the same as a boolean value (false), and anything larger than 0 as "true", then we would generally have to write our if's and whiles etc as

if ( x == 0) { //this would then only happen if x = 0
}

instead of just

if (!x) {
}

What I'm asking is for somebody to please re-write in as little code as possible my example while statement as per my original question.

PHP's acceptance as 0 = false, allows one to do more that just cut a few coreners, it also allows me to use a the return from a "command" as a "test" for the if/while

In my mind, I cannot do this if the loop only accepted boolean.,.

So, I'm trying to get my mind around how I would have written the exact thing but this time, checking for boolean instead of checking for 0 or > 0 while dealing with the assignment of the new row each time in the loop.

while ($myrow = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
extract($myrow);
echo $field1.' :: '.$field2.' :: '.$field3.'<br>';
}
------------
We are talking here about the value wich mysql_fetch_assoc() returns.
it will return false if $result is not a valid result set (and an error message)
it will return false if $result contains a result set, but no records are left to return
it will return a value (wich will be evaluated as true in an expression) when records are left; the value is actually a record.

Conclusion:
the while loop will only be executed when a record is returned by mysql_fetch_assoc
This is normal coding practice in PHP and the manual also says you should do it like this.

I know the code will work fine as it is. I am just curious as to how we would have coded it if things were not as they are.
I am currently learning Java, and for one, Java does NOT accept "0" as false and >0 as true, you HAVE to have a statement returning a boolean type as the argument to your if/while statements.

Seeing that I have only worked with PHP, and have grown accustomed to the "nice" shortcut way that PHP allows, I was hoping that someone here could help me to think along that line.

I know full well all the PHP rules of when a while will execute and when it will not, what I am not sure of is how to write this code when I am forced to look for true/false instead of 0 or >0. $myrow = mysql_fetch_assoc($result) will NOT return true or false but 0 or >0. So I would have to have a couple of intermediary assignments in the above snippet in order for the while to execute ( in a boolean world), and I would also have to deal with calling the same statement before the next loop of the while in order to advance the internal pointer of the result set...

I hope you understand now. Sorry if I was not clear enough, it's a weakness I tend to exhibit often.

you would have to use mysql_num_rows($result) to determine the amount of rows that are returned.
and you would have to use error handling to catch any errors while processing the code.

But keep in mind that PHP was written with the knowledge that it can be done this way; so there is no need for that kind of functionality in PHP.
There may be some in PHP though, but that is not intentionally.

If you are looking for ways to code like that you might as well dive into Jave immediatly, as that kind of functionality MUST be in there (otherwise it can't be done).

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